Association Between Alzheimer's Disease and Glaucoma: A Study Based on Heidelberg Retinal Tomography and Frequency Doubling Technology Perimetry

Overview

Journal Front Neurosci

Date 2016 Jan 7

PMID 26733792

Citations 24

Authors

Massimo Cesareo

Alessio Martucci

Elena Ciuffoletti

Raffaele Mancino

Angelica Cerulli

Roberto P Sorge

Alessandro Martorana

Giuseppe Sancesario

Carlo Nucci

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Aim: To assess the frequency of glaucoma-like alterations in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients using Heidelberg Retinal Tomograph III (HRT-3) and Frequency Doubling Technology (FDT) perimetry.

Methods: The study included 51 eyes of 51 AD subjects and 67 eyes of 67 age- and sex-matched controls. Subjects underwent an ophthalmological examination including measurements of intraocular pressure (IOP), Matrix FDT visual field testing, optic nerve head morphology and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLt) assessment by slit-lamp biomicroscopy and HRT-3.

Results: The frequency of alterations was significantly higher in the AD group (27.5 vs. 7.5%; p = 0.003; OR = 4.69). AD patients showed lower IOP (p = 0.000) despite not significantly different values of central corneal thickness (CCT) between the groups (p = 0.336). Of all the stereometric parameters measured by HRT-3, RNFLt was significantly lower in AD patients (p = 0.013). This group also had significantly worse results in terms of Moorfields Regression Analysis (p = 0.027). Matrix showed significantly worse Mean Deviation (MD) (p = 0.000) and Pattern Standard Deviation (PSD) (p = 0.000) values and more altered Glaucoma Hemifield Test (p = 0.006) in AD patients. Pearson's R correlation test showed that Mini Mental State Examination is directly correlated with MD (R = 0.349; p = 0.034) and inversely correlated with PSD (R = -0.357; p = 0.030).

Conclusion: Patients with AD have a higher frequency of glaucoma-like alterations, as detected by the use of HRT-3. These alterations were not associated with elevated IOP or abnormal CCT values.

Citing Articles

Thirty Risk Factors for Alzheimer's Disease Unified by a Common Neuroimmune-Neuroinflammation Mechanism.

Weaver D Brain Sci. 2024; 14(1).

PMID: 38248256 PMC: 10813027. DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14010041.

A Retrospective Cohort Study on the Difficulties of Diagnosing and Managing Glaucoma in Patients with Coexistent Neurodegenerative Disease.

Ciociola E, Patel K, Blahnik T, Ghosh A, Klifto M, Fleischman D J Curr Glaucoma Pract. 2023; 17(3):126-133.

PMID: 37920375 PMC: 10618602. DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10078-1415.

MRI and Clinical Biomarkers Overlap between Glaucoma and Alzheimer's Disease.

Martucci A, Giuliano F, Minosse S, Pocobelli G, Nucci C, Garaci F Int J Mol Sci. 2023; 24(19).

PMID: 37834380 PMC: 10573932. DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914932.

Fluoxetine Protects Retinal Ischemic Damage in Mice.

Romano G, Gozzo L, Maurel O, Di Martino S, Riolo V, Micale V Pharmaceutics. 2023; 15(5).

PMID: 37242611 PMC: 10223683. DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15051370.

Combined use of coenzyme Q10 and citicoline: A new possibility for patients with glaucoma.

Martucci A, Mancino R, Cesareo M, Pinazo-Duran M, Nucci C Front Med (Lausanne). 2023; 9:1020993.

PMID: 36590976 PMC: 9797721. DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.1020993.

References

Russo R, Berliocchi L, Adornetto A, Amantea D, Nucci C, Tassorelli C . In search of new targets for retinal neuroprotection: is there a role for autophagy?. Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2012; 13(1):72-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2012.09.004. View

Wong E, Cuervo A . Autophagy gone awry in neurodegenerative diseases. Nat Neurosci. 2010; 13(7):805-11. PMC: 4038747. DOI: 10.1038/nn.2575. View

Dascalu A, Alexandrescu C, Pascu R, Ilinca R, Popescu V, Ciuluvica R . Heidelberg Retina Tomography analysis in optic disks with anatomic particularities. J Med Life. 2011; 3(4):359-64. PMC: 3019072. View

Nucci C, Martucci A, Cesareo M, Mancino R, Russo R, Bagetta G . Brain involvement in glaucoma: advanced neuroimaging for understanding and monitoring a new target for therapy. Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2012; 13(1):128-33. DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2012.08.004. View

Kessing L, Lopez A, Andersen P, Kessing S . No increased risk of developing Alzheimer disease in patients with glaucoma. J Glaucoma. 2007; 16(1):47-51. DOI: 10.1097/IJG.0b013e31802b3527. View

Nucci C, Martucci A, Cesareo M, Garaci F, Morrone L, Russo R . Links among glaucoma, neurodegenerative, and vascular diseases of the central nervous system. Prog Brain Res. 2015; 221:49-65. DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2015.04.010. View

Trick G, Trick L, Morris P, Wolf M . Visual field loss in senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type. Neurology. 1995; 45(1):68-74. DOI: 10.1212/wnl.45.1.68. View

Marziani E, Pomati S, Ramolfo P, Cigada M, Giani A, Mariani C . Evaluation of retinal nerve fiber layer and ganglion cell layer thickness in Alzheimer's disease using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013; 54(9):5953-8. DOI: 10.1167/iovs.13-12046. View

Jaeger P, Wyss-Coray T . Beclin 1 complex in autophagy and Alzheimer disease. Arch Neurol. 2010; 67(10):1181-4. DOI: 10.1001/archneurol.2010.258. View

10.

Nucci C, Martucci A, Martorana A, Sancesario G, Cerulli L . Glaucoma progression associated with altered cerebral spinal fluid levels of amyloid beta and tau proteins. Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2010; 39(3):279-81. DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-9071.2010.02452.x. View

11.

Tamura H, Kawakami H, Kanamoto T, Kato T, Yokoyama T, Sasaki K . High frequency of open-angle glaucoma in Japanese patients with Alzheimer's disease. J Neurol Sci. 2006; 246(1-2):79-83. DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2006.02.009. View

12.

Uchida H, BRIGATTI L, Caprioli J . Detection of structural damage from glaucoma with confocal laser image analysis. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1996; 37(12):2393-401. View

13.

Bayer A, Ferrari F . Severe progression of glaucomatous optic neuropathy in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Eye (Lond). 2002; 16(2):209-12. DOI: 10.1038/sj.eye.6700034. View

14.

Cesareo M, Ciuffoletti E, Ricci F, Missiroli F, Giuliano M, Mancino R . Visual disability and quality of life in glaucoma patients. Prog Brain Res. 2015; 221:359-74. DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2015.07.003. View

15.

Martucci A, Cesareo M, Napoli D, Sorge R, Ricci F, Mancino R . Evaluation of pupillary response to light in patients with glaucoma: a study using computerized pupillometry. Int Ophthalmol. 2014; 34(6):1241-7. DOI: 10.1007/s10792-014-9920-1. View

16.

Bayer A, Ferrari F, Erb C . High occurrence rate of glaucoma among patients with Alzheimer's disease. Eur Neurol. 2002; 47(3):165-8. DOI: 10.1159/000047976. View

17.

DeLeon-Ortega J, Arthur S, McGwin Jr G, Xie A, Monheit B, Girkin C . Discrimination between glaucomatous and nonglaucomatous eyes using quantitative imaging devices and subjective optic nerve head assessment. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2006; 47(8):3374-80. PMC: 3882168. DOI: 10.1167/iovs.05-1239. View

18.

Pelletier A, Theoret M, Boutin T, Kergoat M, Massoud F, Latour J . Prevalence of glaucoma in hospitalized older adults with Alzheimer's disease. Can J Neurol Sci. 2014; 41(2):206-9. DOI: 10.1017/s0317167100016590. View

19.

Pierantozzi M, Panella M, Palmieri M, Koch G, Giordano A, Marciani M . Different TMS patterns of intracortical inhibition in early onset Alzheimer dementia and frontotemporal dementia. Clin Neurophysiol. 2004; 115(10):2410-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2004.04.022. View

20.

Larrosa J, Garcia-Martin E, Bambo M, Pinilla J, Polo V, Otin S . Potential new diagnostic tool for Alzheimer's disease using a linear discriminant function for Fourier domain optical coherence tomography. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2014; 55(5):3043-51. DOI: 10.1167/iovs.13-13629. View